The Munich online shop for luxury fashion, Mytheresa, has started as a marketplace retailer on JD.com in China. For this purpose, a virtual flagship store was set up at the Chinese online giant. Around 2,000 products are currently listed there, from brands such as Isabel Marant, Off-White, Acne Studios and Christian Louboutin.
According to the JD.com website, all shipments are shipped from Europe, with a 30-day free return policy. This makes Mytheresa the first major global luxury retailer to sell in China through the JD.com platform. Competitor Farfetch switched to Alibaba’s Tmall in 2021, and Net-a-porter also sells through Tmall in China.
With this, Mytheresa is making a U-turn in its previous online strategy, which previously included staying away from marketplaces. When asked by FashionUnited, CEO Michael Kliger explains why things are different in China. For example, the Chinese online giant JD.com has increasingly focused on the luxury segment in recent years, with internal shop openings by Givenchy, Loewe, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Bvlgari, which makes the online retailer an attractive partner.
“Our approach to opening a JD flagship store is very different from that of competitors like Farfetch. We are not looking for high sales of accessories such as bags and shoes, but see a flagship store as a channel to increase brand awareness among JD.com visitors,” explains CEO Michael Kliger.
In addition, JD.com does not require participation in seasonal sales campaigns, so Mytheresa wants to stick to the full-price concept. Ultimately, it’s about expanding your own marketing opportunities in China through your presence on JD.com. “However, we remain focused on growing the business on our own website, as we have done in recent years,” continued Kliger.